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Pregnancy

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Original poster

Lie flat baby seat and rear air bag

22 replies

saskia71 · 15/10/2007 17:20

Hi,

I wonder if any of you are facing this problem: I'm intending to put the baby seat (a Jane Matrix cup in the lie flat position) in the rear of the car, but the car also has rear air bags built into the doors. These airbags can't be disabled by the manufacturer. (The only way is by buying the manufacturer's baby seat which has a device that communicates with the the computer. However, this seat does not allow for a lie flat position and does not fit onto any chasis to form a pram).

I've not had any consistent advice regarding rear air bags. Some shops say that these must be switched off and others that only the front air bag needs to be switched off and rear ones are fine.

Any personal experience?
(As a last resort I could buy the manufacturer's product and keep the Matrix in the boot).

I know a long shot, but thanks in advance.

OP posts:

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Pheebe · 15/10/2007 17:44

TBH I would go with the manufacturers recommendations. Airbags are activated by an explosive device so if you dc isn't protected from the side appropriately (which they wouldn't be if they were lying flat) they could be hurt by the thing thats sposed to be protecting them

Also personally I think the lie flat thing is a bit of a gimic unless you're planning on spending hours in the car with DC every day

Hope that helps a bit

nicm · 15/10/2007 21:25

hi, i was told side airbags weren't a problem, it was only the front airbag. i have ones in the side of my seats and curtain ones. i'm pg with my 1st and am also a cm and have used loads of different car seats and plan on getting a lie flat matrix, one of the best i used.

hth

insywinsyspider · 15/10/2007 22:31

don't be too worried about the airbags the lie flat seat is more of a concern - no major manufacturers test that seat, all the research i've seen for minimising infant injury done is for rear facing seats, i work in vehicle safety for a major vehicle manufacturer and none of my colleagues would reccomend using the lie flat seat - if you can go for manufacturers recommendation or a strong brand like maxi cosi, the lie flat seat is more of a gimic

nappyaddict · 15/10/2007 22:52

don't go for the lie flat seat. there is a video here somewhere of how rubbish it did in the tests. i'll find the link.

here you go

Flounder78 · 16/10/2007 12:33

The reason the front airbag needs to be turned off is because the rear facing seat gets pushed against hte seat and the baby can suffocate. this is not hte case witht he rear airbags asn they are on the side. I would never turn my back airbags off as they prevent serious injury. FOr this reason I do not put a seat in the front seat.

Flounder78 · 16/10/2007 12:34

Just checked out the link. That is fior the carry cots that lie across the whole back seat. The one I am looking at is the same size as the normal infant seat but it can lie flat as well.

Anyone heard anything good/ bad about those?

mishymoo · 16/10/2007 12:37

Don't really have any advice, but I have been told if you turn airbags off, your insurance can be affected (possibly not covered?). Not sure this matters in your case as you can't turn yours off, but something to keep in mind.

MrsBadger · 16/10/2007 12:40

But flounder, in the lieflat position you install it across the back seats like the one in the video clip, hence it suffers the same safety problems.
The only seat that lies flat but is still apparently as safe as a rear-facer is the Aprica

Flounder78 · 16/10/2007 12:44

No the one I looked at fit in one seat only like the normal infant seats. Link below

www.thekidswindow.co.uk/html/results2.asp

MrsBadger · 16/10/2007 12:45

Direct quote from the Which? 2006 car seat safety test:

DON'T BUYS
Unfortunately, there were three seats to avoid...
JANÉ MATRIX PRO
Group 0+, £180 from independents
This seat scores just one star for safety.
It can carry very small babies both rearward-facing and lying flat, but in this latter mode our tests showed a higher risk of serious crash injury compared with other group 0+ seats.
Jané says that it plans to change the design of the Matrix Pro, with the current design that we tested still being available.

MrsBadger · 16/10/2007 12:48

this one?
never seen it tested

Sheherazadethegoat · 16/10/2007 12:48

nappy adict, that video made me feel ill. i did use the matrix car seat for dd. lucky i have no cause for regret but i wouldn't use it again.

insywinsyspider · 16/10/2007 14:17

the vehicle manufacturing testing for car seats involves pulling the seat belts and the ISOfix mounting points to ensure the Body doesn't fail - child seat manufacturers have to prove that they provide a secure mounting system for the seat but I would be worried about what rigorous testing they do on child injuries, I know the adult test dummies have their limitations and we know even less about the biometrics of babies

what harness system does the seat have? remember a 5 point harness system (and most of seat belt systems) are designed for fore aft movement (front to back) not side to side which was the movement shown in nappyaddicts video link

the air bags in the door will push a child seat out of the way - the key is making sure your baby is strapped in securely to the seat so they move as one so you don't need to worry about airbags for any child seat - expect in the front obviously!

I think I'm missing something here - why do you want a lie flat car seat? The guidance is 2 hours max in a car seat and take a break, I don't know many newborns that can last longer than that anyway and don't let them sleep in a car seat if its not in a moving car they are not designed for it and all the pressure points on back etc are wrong

Flounder78 · 16/10/2007 14:21

Yes that is the one.

The reason I would like a lie flat one s Ds hated his car seat and always wnated to be lying flat. I wont be using it on a travel system as I have a pram for that very reason.

fruitymum · 16/10/2007 14:22

I had a matrix but never used it flat in the car. The bonus is that you can have it as an upright car seat then lift it out - flatten it out when on the chassis like a carrycot without disturbing babe - much better to be flat on long walks. That why I bought it. My friend however does use it flat in the car without prob - she has a Honda CRV.

insywinsyspider · 16/10/2007 14:31

fruitymum - that sounds like the best way to use the seat, best of both worlds

I'm sure the seat fits fine across the seats its just the risk of what happens if you do have an accident - personally I wouldn't trust it but them maybe I've seen to many test crashes its a bit like I would never eat in a resturant I worked in too much information and all that

Original poster

saskia71 · 16/10/2007 15:26

Many thanks for all your replies. The video linked by nappyaddict was truly horrific and has put me off using the Matrix in the car.

I will buy my car manufacturers seat and keep it permanantly in the car. The Matrix can be a second seat, kept in the boot, and to be used with a Jane chasis.

insywinsyspider, do you have any information relating to the testing of the Mercedes baby seat (only one model with AKSE)? I am assuming that this should be good as they are responsible for so many of the safety innovations that are regarded as standard in today's cars.

As to why I wanted a lie flat seat in the car in the first place, it was for contingency if stuck in traffic on the motorway with the baby approaching its time limit in an inclined seat. (Unfortunately will be using M25 for weekend visiting).

OP posts:

MrsBadger · 16/10/2007 17:09

the matrix is fine to use sitting upp - appreciate this doesn't solve the airbag problem though. Would it go in the middle of the back seat?

Tangle · 16/10/2007 21:11

Just been looking at AKSE, and from what I can see (in this brochure) it only affects the front passenger air bag?

Just as something else to be aware of (sorry - I know this is probably not what you want to hear )... We bought our car seat from an independent retailer that won't stock a seat she hasn't had manufacturer's training on. She was in a car show room and recognised a 3rd party car seat that had been re-branded - it was sitting in a car that she knew it did not fit into correctly. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Mercedes and they're a name that I'd hope could get it right, but it might be worth checking that the seat does actually fit correctly in your car. Hopefully they have a sales rep with training that can tell you and demonstrate...

Good luck

Original poster

saskia71 · 16/10/2007 21:53

Hi Tangle, thanks. The seat with AKSE will go onto the front passenger seat. If I was going to install the Matrix then I would have put this in the back (two seat belts needed for lie flat).
(I'm lucky in that I have an excellent dealership in Brooklands, and I know that the seat will fit my car).

OP posts:

Tangle · 16/10/2007 22:26

Ah - got the impression from earlier posts that AKSE was expected to turn off the rear side air bags as well.

Can I ask, for personal curiosity, why you want to put the seat in the front rather than in the back?

Incidentally, looks like the Baby-Safe Plus car seat might be a Britax product that's rebranded (Volvo and Ford both have a "Baby-Safe Plus" car seats that look remarkably similar and mention Britax), in which case it might be possible to team it with a Britax push chair to get a travel system, if you wanted to

nappyaddict · 17/10/2007 00:42

we very nearly got the red castle one cos i liked the pushchair. however did you know you can only actually use it lying down in the car up until they are 11lbs so you won't actually get much use out of the lying downness of it.

also mothercare only recommend the use of these seats in the car in the very upmost postition which is much more upright than any of the other car seats on sale.

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